RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC) cancelled its two-week-long drama festival scheduled to start on Friday (May 23) without any reason.

Local artists and directors staged a protest outside Rawalpindi Arts Council and urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to take action for cancelling the event.

A senior official of RAC told Dawn that Director Sajjad Hussain was transferred to Lahore and the charge given to Mohammad Shakoor early on May 23 morning due to which the management postponed the festival. However, he did not elaborate the reason for immediate transfer and posting and cancellation of the festival.

Anjum Habibi, William Pervez, Rifaat Ali Qaiser, Saber Khan, Tahir Siddiqui, Arshad Minhas, Sapna Shah, Jhalak Allah, Liaqat Shah, Aslam Mughal, along with Director Asma Butt held press conference at Rawalpindi Press Club.

They said that despite all the preparations for the drama festival of artists representing local and national culture, it was postponed without solid reason.

They said political interference had been going on in RAC for the past one year. They said 12 dramas out of 26 were selected for the event and its official schedule was released. The first drama was to be presented on May 23 evening but it was stopped at 12:30pm without any justification.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2025